Hi guys! Thank you so much for waiting and again sorry for the delay and the cliffhanger ;P I hope this chapter makes up for that. The next chapter should be ready in a few days (hopefully). And as always feedback is very welcome!
Mwah!
"Someone kidnaped her? Emma what? Why?"
"I don't know!", the blonde cried. "All I know is that Gina is gone. And I need to find her. Call Dad, call Ruby and Granny and Belle and the others. Ask if someone has seen her! Hurry"
It was now an hour later and they hadn't made the slightest progress. Emma had searched the entire neighborhood around Mifflin Street on foot. She just came back to the front porch when Ruby arrived with David.
"Where was she taken?"
The waitress asked while jumping out of the cruiser instead of a greeting.
Emma appreciated that, given that every second was precious.
"Backyard. I'll show you"
Emma sprinted to the back of the house, Ruby on her tails.
When they arrived at the hedge the werewolf sniffed the air.
"I'm sorry Emma, the scent is too faint, I can't track her, not in human form. And I can't wolf out until full moon. Wait-"
She stopped and sniffed again
"But there is another scent. Like…disinfectant and sweat."
Emma thought for a moment.
"Whale. Could it be him?"
Ruby shrugged.
"Possible. I'm sorry I can't do more, Ems."
"No you did great, thanks"
The blonde waved her hands and with a whiff of smoke she transported herself in the holding area of Storybrooke Hospital.
A few people gasped, clearly shocked to see her pop out of thin air, but since she had become the Dark One she found that less and less people dared to call her out on things like that.
She stopped a nurse, who had just walked into the room.
"Where is Victor Whale?"
"What? Why?"
Patience, Emma. Deep breaths.
"Because I, the Sheriff, wants to know" she hissed between clenched teeth.
"He didn't show up today, I don't know where he is, really."
Emma had just left the hospital, standing in the parking area.
Where could he be?
Why would Whale kidnap Gina?
Her ringing cellphone interrupted her thinking process.
"Dad?"
"I drove back out to Zelena's farmhouse, you know in case…"
"What did you find?"
"On the way there I met Little John, he was furious. Told me that a man had tried to kidnap Roland earlier this morning"
"What!?"
"According to Roland he said he would bring the boy to his Dad. But one of the Merry Men saw someone they didn't know talking to Roland at the edge of camp and scared him off."
"Whale." Emma growled. "He must have tried to take Roland and when that didn't work he came for Regina."
"Why would he do that?"
"If he was telling the truth and wanted to bring the kid to his father, then Whale works for Robin and Zelena."
"Of course, they can't come back over the town line…But Whale can cross over to them."
"And if he gets Gina over the line...Oh god."
"But he could be anywhere"
"Let me think. He needs to be close to the town line but stay hidden at the same time. So he's somewhere in the woods…Gold's cabin!"
"Emma! Don't go in there alone, he's dangerous. Wait for me! Emma?"
But Emma had already ended the call and poofed away.
She landed a few feet away from the lodge. Carefully Emma crept closer.
When she was standing right in front of the door she blasted it open with her magic.
With two steps she was inside, but no one was there.
"I know you're here, Whale! Show yourself!"
she shouted as she pulled out her gun from it's holster. Her magic sometimes failed her, her weapon never had.
"Emma!"
The blonde heard a scream from the back of the cabin.
Regina!
She sprinted through the rooms and saw Whale carrying Regina out the backdoor. The little brunette kicked and screamed and scratched, but Frankenstein didn't let go of her.
Emma stepped out of the cabin and pointed her gun at the doctor, but she couldn't get a clean shot.
Whale grinned and his hand wandered behind his back, pulling out a gun himself.
"Hold still, little brat or I'll put a bullet in your pretty little head. You know, it's like an arrow, only smaller, and more deadly."
Gina went still in his arms, her eyes filling with tears.
"Emma." She whimpered fearfully.
Whale laughed. "The Dark One can't save you now, missy."
Emma clenched her jaw. Whale looked at her.
"Put your gun down, Sherriff. You're not going to shoot and we both know it."
With an angry huff the blonde put her weapon back in its holster, her hands hanging limp at her sides.
"Whale, it's over. Let her go."
He giggled. "Oh no. This is my revenge, you know?"
He started backing away slowly, in the direction of the town line. No! No way in hell was he going to bring Regina over there.
"Robin and Zelena set you up to this. They are waiting for you somewhere on the other side."
It wasn't a question.
Frankenstein giggled again.
"Maybe. Maybe they promised me I get to kill her all by myself."
"Then why do they want you to bring her over the town line to them?" Emma asked.
"What?"
"They are playing you, idiot. Why would they hold up their end of the bargain when you couldn't even manage to hold up yours? Once you are over there they are going to get rid of you. Permanently."
In the second it took the doctor to process her words, Gina bit in his hand so hard it bled. He cried out and let go of the child, who fell to the ground but picked herself up quickly and started running towards Emma.
"You little cunt!" He cried out and aimed his gun at the girl.
Everything slowed down.
Emma saw that Regina would never make it to her and on that short distance it was highly probable that she'd get hit. But she knew that she herself was standing too far away, there wasn't a chance she was going to reach Gina before the bullet did. She only knew that she had to stop this from happening.
Magic is emotion. Concentrate!
The darkness inside of her reared it's head, delighted to be called into action again.
So when a second later the bullet left it's chamber, spiraling towards the child, a black shimmering half sphere built itself up in front of Regina and the bullet crashed against it and bounced off, before falling to the ground.
She exhaled.
It worked.
Whale looked just as puzzled as Regina to what had just happened.
The darkness inside Emma meanwhile reached its boiling point.
Punish him! He wanted to take her from us! He needs to pay.
With a flick of her wrist the gun flew out of the doctor's hand and landed in the bushes. A second later he was suspended in the air in her chokehold, his feet dangling in the air, trying frantically to hold onto something while his hands grabbed his throat.
"You just wanted to kill an innocent little girl." She growled. "You abducted her and you scared her and you. Tried. To. Kill. Her."
Each word was followed by an invisible punch in his face.
She closed the distance between them.
"And now, I'm going to kill you."
And with one swift motion she ripped his heart right out of his chest.
Do it! Do it now! Blood! Blood!
"Emma!"
crush it, crush it!
"Emma!"
A child's cry. Regina's cry. Emma blinked. Had she imagined that?
"Emma, please don't!"
The girl stood behind her, tugging on her shirt.
"You promised me you wouldn't turn dark. Not like mother."
Emma tried to concentrate on Regina's words, her voice.
"You're the Sherriff, remember? You're s'pposed to protect people, not kill them"
When nothing happened Gina continued, tears streaming down her face.
"Emma…I love you, please don't leave me"
I love you. No, crush it. I love you. Crush. It. Don't leave me. I love you. Don't leave me. I love you. Don't leave me. I love you.
Slowly the voices in her head faded out leaving nothing but a stinging headache.
Emma breathed in deeply and let the doctor fall from her grip. He landed on the ground with a thud.
Then she looked at her hand holding the heart. With a smacking sound she put it back where it belonged. The man was gasping for air, his hands clinging to his chest.
The blonde let herself fall to her knees and engulfed Regina in a hug.
"I love you too, munchkin. So, so much"
